Mad Men question

[Anonymous]

When I try to picture Mad Men set in 2014, I hear a lot of New Yawk accents and other badges of NYC. Is it artistic license that the cast does not seem to have accents?

[Anonymous]

Are you serious?

[Anonymous]

As a New Yorker, I think they sound pretty New York to me. I have no idea what other badges you are talking about.

[Anonymous]

The cast members have accents appropriate to their class and geographical origins. Many of them are not from New York (Don Draper, for instance), others are, but are from a class that would have been trained in a specific kind of elocution (Pete Campbell), others have a more stereotypical New York accent, but are not caricatures (Peggy).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The cast members have accents appropriate to their class and geographical origins. Many of them are not from New York (Don Draper, for instance), others are, but are from a class that would have been trained in a specific kind of elocution (Pete Campbell), others have a more stereotypical New York accent, but are not caricatures (Peggy).

Yes, this is pretty much on the money

[Anonymous]

Yes, plenty of native NYers don't have accents, esp. If they are upperclass and live in Manhattan.

I do think, however, that Peggy would have more of an accent being a middle class girl from Brooklyn

[Anonymous]

But where is Joan from? If from NYC, I would expect her to have an accent as well. My mother is about 10 years younger than Joan and grew up middle class in Queens. You can definitely hear her accent.

[Anonymous]

When I watch Mad Men, I am reminded of how this used to be a great country, where we thought despite the many problems that everything was possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I watch Mad Men, I am reminded of how this used to be a great country, where we thought despite the many problems that everything was possible.

Sure, if you were white, male and protestant.

[Anonymous]

My mother grew up on the upper west side of manhattan in the fifties and never left her home without wearing white gloves. She had three live in maids. She still has a thick ny accent even though she lives in Virginia. This argument that upper class New Yorkers don't have accents is nonsense.

[Anonymous]

We don't know much about Joan's backstory, but it seems like she came from humble means. She most likely tried to get rid of any strong accent she had, if she had one.

[Anonymous]

My parents are born and raised in New York City. Neither has a "New York Accent." The "New York Accent" is a stereotype of New York City just as the Valley Girl accent is a stereotype of California. It is specific to a certain class and place. Doubtful that anyone needed elocution lessons. They speak as they were raised.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents are born and raised in New York City. Neither has a "New York Accent." The "New York Accent" is a stereotype of New York City just as the Valley Girl accent is a stereotype of California. It is specific to a certain class and place. Doubtful that anyone needed elocution lessons. They speak as they were raised.

New York City is a pretty big place with 5 boroughs. Which one? And what was their class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents are born and raised in New York City. Neither has a "New York Accent." The "New York Accent" is a stereotype of New York City just as the Valley Girl accent is a stereotype of California. It is specific to a certain class and place. Doubtful that anyone needed elocution lessons. They speak as they were raised.

Agreed, especially when the family (parents) was not from NY.

[Anonymous]

2 of my grandparents, both parents and myself born and raised in NYC. No accents for any of us.